Landscaping Tips: Using Gravel in Your Yard & Around Your Home

Gravel serves a variety of purposes in your landscaping and around your house. The following are some ways to use gravel as a hardscaping element that keeps projects more affordable and looking great…

Gravel Paired With Stone

Gravel can fill the gaps between stone slabs on flagstone or paver pathways. It’s an attractive combination that’s easier to maintain than paver pathways that feature ground covers between stone slabs.
Select a color of gravel that matches the flagstone or pavers. To prevent gravel traveling up onto the flagstones, start by installing a layer of compacted base rock, then lay the flagstones – setting them in the base rock so they’re slightly above what will be the gravel level – and spread gravel in the gaps.

Gravel For Patios and Walkways

If cement does not appeal to you, and natural stone pavers are too expensive, gravel is an ideal hardscaping element that delivers utility and visual appeal. Gravel is a great walkway material, offering quick drainage and that pleasing crunch underfoot. As a patio material, gravel makes a nice floor that adds texture but also visually shows a unified surface. Choose a color that complements other hardscaping materials and the style of your garden.

Gravel For Property Drainage

Regions that receive a lot of rain may require additional measures to funnel water away from the foundation of your home or in other trouble areas in your yard. This is especially true if grading on your property is an issue. Depending on how they are used, gravel trenches can help move, direct, or drain water. French drains, for example, help move excess water away from the home or saturated beds. Rain gardens and bioswales are planted or mulched channels that slow water flows down and allow it to infiltrate into the soil. On the other hand, use gravel trenches or depressions to prevent runoff and drain water on-site.

Gravel for Plant Beds

Gravel provides a superior solution to much for your planter beds to prevent evaporation and water waste. The main problem with mulch is that it breaks down and must be replaced frequently. Gravel is ideal for use in planter beds when you want to place flowers and greenery around the perimeter of your home without compromising the foundation. A thick layer of gravel will suppress weeds that may be apt to spring up around your plants.

Gravel For Fire Pits

Gravel can also be used to surround an outdoor fire pit. Far less expensive than pavers or flagstone, gravel acts as a neat and tidy flooring material and is a safe surface for a stray spark to land on. If your fire pit is constructed with stone, choose gravel in a color that matches or complements it. Metal fire pits and portable models look good with nearly any color of gravel.

Gravel For Erosion Control

Any yard that features a slope could succumb to ongoing erosion issues, whether the area is barren, covered in grass, or dotted with trees and bushes. While all gravel will help to some degree, crushed gravels have more angular edges and are better at catching particles of soil and holding them in place in the presence of running water. When used with complementary measures, like retaining walls, gravel can contribute to a winning strategy for erosion control.

Bray Topsoil & Gravel can deliver our gravel and topsoil to you in the Greater Cincinnati Area!

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